Today I spoke to three strangers and made them laugh. I bought a book on Frank Lloyd Wright for a man who once dreamed of being an architect. And I inspired a business partner to reach for a goal he once thought was unattainable.
Engineers build bridges. Artists create works of art. Although intangible, I hope my mark on this earth will be as memorable. I want my epitaph to read, “She never had an original idea. But she left a legacy of truth and beauty behind.” In 2004 I was lying in a Hong Kong hospital, five tubes coming out of me, unable to move, because of cervical cancer. I was outraged that my body had failed me, sick of being surrounded by sickness and frightened at the prospect of death. That night I heard the patient in the next room dying. As I listened to him wail in the dark for someone to hold him, I thought, who would weep for him? Who would weep for me? How would I be remembered if I ever left this world? Would I be remembered at all? It occurred to me then that I didn’t have a body of work worthy of a tribute. No Moleskin notebooks with scribbled poems. No unfinished paintings. No children. Just a history of bad grades, bad behaviour and a closetful of designer bags. I swore that night that if I ever got well, I would say yes when before I’d say no. I’d stop worrying what people thought about me and do what made me happy. I’d give each person I met the best moment they could ever have, as long as it was within my power to give it. I’d live a life remembered. So like pennies in a jar, I collect these moments. Today three people’s frazzled Fridays were, for one minute, lightened by deep belly laughs. One person rediscovered, in a swift turn of a page, why he loved Frank Lloyd Wright. And another person had an epiphany: He could go further and faster. His dream was not impossible after all. On a day like this, my jar – and heart -- are full.________________________
About the author: Alicia Kan is a marketer, blogger and lover of art and beauty. You can read her thoughts on Twitter or on her blog Things They Don't Teach You In Business School.
